One-off Alvis up for Auction

Modified bodywork and powered by a Corvette-sourced V8, this unique Alvis is truly one-of-a-kind.

This 1967 Alvis Burns Special is the only one of its kind and will soon be offered alongside an array of classics, race and competition cars by Silverstone Auctions. It's fascinating history behind the unique Alvis starts in 1966, when businessman James Burn started work on creating a faster and better looking "export-only" Alvis for the US market. His vision of a V8-powered Alvis included replacing the 115hp straight-six engine with a 300hp 5.3-liter Corvette unit, heavily modifying the bodywork and lowering the roof line by several inches.

Both the front and rear wings were replaced with elongated aluminium items, and horizontally-paired headlights were fitted along with wraparound bumpers. The interior was the retrimmed in white leather with blue piping and a completely new fascia design include an impressive bank of new gauges and switchgear. All was going well and a low-manufacturing agreement with Alvis was expected. However after a period of carmaker mergers, the project never took off, production never started and the car thus remained a one-off. Thankfully, it has been maintained in excellent condition with recent work including a cylinder head rebuild, refurbished internal woodwork and an interior retrim to original spec.

"Classic cars don't come much rarer than this so it's a privilege for Silverstone Auctions to offer it for sale at the Race Retro and Classic Car Sale," said auction house Managing Director, Nick Whale. The 1967 Alvis Burns Special will cross the auction block on 23 February with an estimate of £60,000 to £70,000.